In this month’s VoM, we highlight Dave Clark’s recent presentation, concerning the role of the IETF in Internet protocols and human rights, made to the plenary at IETF 98 in Chicago. Clark reflects on the recent efforts proposing guidelines for human rights considerations in IETF standards work. He recalls earlier efforts (RAVEN) to prevent legal intercept requirements from being standardized by the IETF, and compares that to other SDOs like 3GPPP which took a more active role to facilitate demands of LEAs. He concludes with strong support for the use of human rights as a foundational value in considering technological design considerations, but asks do we design for a preferred outcome and let the “tussle” happen in a way which we have little control, or do we design for a range of outcomes some which we (individually or collectively) may not prefer?
Will The Internet Fragment?
“In characteristically rigorous fashion, Mueller’s outstanding book punctures the alarmist myth of Internet fragmentation and helps us to understand what is really at stake as nations and other groups vie for power over the Internet.”
Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School